Wrist attached lighter assembly



Sept. 5, 1961 F. s. SANCHEZ WRIST ATTACHED LIGHTER ASSEMBLY Filed April 10, 1959 FIG. 1.

, IN VEN TOR.

F860 5. SANCHEZ, /6 BY A 7' ra a/5Y5.

United States Patent Filed Apr. 10, 1959, Ser- No. 805,596 3 Claims. (CI. 674.1)

The present invention appertains to improvements in mechanical lighters and particularly relates to a novel and improved wrist attached or carried mechanical lighter.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a simple, compact and sturdy mechanical lighter and, in conjunction with the construction and operation thereof, to provide a wrist engaging or encircling means which supports the lighter in an easily accessible position for use on the wrist of a person.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a housing for a mechanical lighter structure which housing is attached to a wrist engaging means so as to dispose the housing in a secure position on the wrist of a person and to provide a cover or lid for the housing, the lid, when opened, operating the lighter and exposing the burning wick of the lighter for use and, when closed, completely covering and protecting the components of the lighter structure.

Ancillary to such foregoing object and as a further important object of the present invention, it is proposed to provide a watch casing as the lid or cover so that the present invention aims to provide a combined wrist watch and lighter assembly.

A still further important object of the present invention is to provide a mechanical lighter construction which includes a spark wheel that bears against a flint and produces a spark, as it is rotated, to light a wick and to provide means, responsive to a spring urged opening movement of the lid, or cover, for rotating the spark wheel.

A. further important object of the present invention is to provide means for locking the lid or cover in a. closed position and spring means active upon a release of such locking means, for urging the lid to an open position.

A still further important object of the present invention is to hingedly connect the lid or cover to the lighter housing in such a way that it assumes an open position perpendicular to the housing and interposed between the housing and a garment that might cover the arms of a wearer of the lighter assembly.

The foregoing and ancillary objects are attained by this invention, the preferred embodiment of which is set forth in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the lighter assembly with a fragmentary portion of the wrist attaching means being shown and with the lid or cover shown in an open position and the lighter being illustrated in use;

FIGURE 2, is a side elevational view thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIGURE 2, with parts removed;

FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal, vertical sectional view taken on line 4- -4 of FIGURE 3; s

FIGURE 5 is a detailed, fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIGURE 3; and,

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view, portions being broken away and in sections, showing, in full and in phantom lines, operative engagement and disengagement of the dog with the ratchet wheel.

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the illustrated lighter 10 includes a circular panshaped housing 12 which, however, can be of any other shape or size. The housing 12 is provided at opposite sides thereof on its peripheral sidewall 14 with pairs of apertured cars 16 between which extend pins 18. The

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pins 18 anchor wrist engaging means 20, such asa strap, to the housing, whereby the housing can be attached to the wrist with its bottom wall 22, that may be flat or curved in cross section, engaged with the wrist of a user. The housing 12 has an open top which is closed 011. by a pan-shaped lid or cover 24. Preferably, but not restrictively, the cover 24 has a depending peripheral sidewall 26, the free edge of which bears tightly against the free edge of the side wall 14 of the housing. The cover 24 may ideally be formed with an upstanding peripheral flange 28 which serves to provide a recess to receive a watch casing 3:) on the outer surface of the cover. It is also contemplated that a watch casing itself could serve as the cover. With. respect to the watch casing 30, as shown, the watch, itself, is conventional in construction and operation and the face 32 thereof is visible, in a customary fashion, when the lid or cover is closed.

The housing 12 has a partition wall 36 which is spaced above the bottom wall 22, substantially parallel therewith, and is disposed below the upper edge of the side wall 14. The partition wall 36 is preferably integral with the housing but may be otherwise formed. The partition wall cooperates with the bottom wall 22 to form a lighter fluid chamber 38 in which a wick40 is disposed. Lighter fluid is introduced into the chamber 38 through the filler opening 42 in a partition wall -3j6, such opening being closed off by a threaded cap 44.

The partition wall 36 is formed with an opening 46 in which a grommet 48 is secured so as to establish a guide passage for the outer end of the wick 40*. A snuffer socket 50 depends from the underside of the web of the lid or cover'24 and is of an internal cross-sectional area sutiicient to receive and enclose the wick end and, thereby, ex tinguish the flame thereof when the cover is closed.

A removable semicircular plate 52 is provided which has a peripheral margin $4 A flange 56 depends from the margin 54 and tits in a groove 5% formed in the peripheral edge of the partition wall 36. The flange 56 serves to space the plate 52 above the partition wall in conjunction with a small bolt 60. The bolt 60 has its free end threaded into a nut 62.

A chordally disposed tube 66 is carried by the underside. of the plate 52 and is disposed adjacent to and parallel with the straight edge 68 of the plate. A flint 70 projects from the inner open end of the tube 66- and is biased by a coil spring 72 that is housed in the tube 66. The outer end of the tube is internally threaded to receive an adjustment screw 7 against which the spring bears and by means of which the tension of the spring can the adjusted. The screw 74 can be turned by removing the plate to provide access to the kerf in the outer end of the screw.

A spark wheel 76 is rotatably circumposed on the bolt 60 and the flint 79 bears against the peripheral edge of the wheel to produce a spark, when the wheel is rotated, in order to light the protruding end of the wick.

The sidewall 26 of the cover or lid 24 is secured by a hinge 78 to the side wall 14 of the housing 12, and a spring St) is secured to the hinge pin 81 and has its opposing leg portions severally engaging the cover and the parti--' tion wall 36 and biasing the cover or lid toward its open position.

The housing 12 is formed, in its side wall 14, with a well 8-2, as shown in FIGURE 5. The bight portion 84 of a U-shaped spring type latch member is socketed in the well with the free end of a leg engaged under a locking shoulder 90. The other leg 86 of the latch extends axbove the well and has a hook 92 on its upper end to engage upon a shoulder 94 formed on the inner side of the flange 26, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 5. A radial opening 96 is formed through the housing sidewall 14 into the well 82, and accommodates the shank of a release button 98 which shank bears against the latch leg 86 to release it from the shoulder 94 when the button 98 is pressed inwardly, so that the cover is urged into an open position by the spring 80.

Means is provided, responsive to the spring biased opening of the cover or lid 24, for rotating the spark wheel 1'6 to produce a spark to ignite the protuding end of the wick. Such means includes a ratchet wheel 18% which is circumposed on-the shank of the bolt 60 and is attached to the underside of the spark wheel. A spring dog 102 has its inner end 104 engaged between teeth of the ratchet wheel to rotate the ratchet wheel in a clock-wise direction when the dog is pulled in an outward direction. When the dog is moved in the opposite direction the dog yields and climbs over the teeth. The dog 102 is formed from inherently resilient material and has an elongated shank that is guided for rectilinear movement by guides 106 upstanding from the partition wall 36 beneath the plate 52. The spark wheel 76, the ratchet wheel 100, and the flint tube 66 are removable simultaneously with the plate 52 The plate 52 is formed with a slot 107 in alignment with the shank of the dog 102 and under which the outer end of the shank is disposed. A link 108 is pivoted to the outer end of the shank and to apair of cars 110 on the underside of the web of the cover 24.

In use, the housing is fitted on the wrist and held in place by the wrist attaching means 20. The cover is held closed by the latch means and the cover may or may not be provided with a watch or serve as a watch casing itself.

To use the lighter, the release button 96 is pushed inwardly by a finger and the latch is released, Whereuponthe spring 80 quickly snaps the lid into an open position, as shown in FIGURE 1. As the cover swings to its open position, it pulls the link 108 with it and, consequently, the dog 102 is pulled outwardly. As the dog 102 moves outwardly in the guides, the ratchet wheel is rotated and the spark wheel is caused to rotate in engagement with the flint to produce a spark for igniting the wick end.

After the lighter has been used, the cover is manually closed and the snufier 50 snufl's out the burning wick end and the cover is held closed by the latch. As the cover is closed, the link forces the dog 1'32 inwardly, and, due to the resiliency of the shank of the dog, the end 104 of the dog cams over the teeth of the ratchet wheel and then snaps into engagement of one of the teeth, as shown in FIGURE 3.

While the best known form of the present invention has been illustrated and described herein, other forms may be realized as come within the scope of the appended claims. Having thus described this invention, what is claimed 1s:

1. A lighter comprising a housing having a bottom wall, an upstanding sidewall, a horizontal partition wall extending across the housing above said bottom wall and secured to said sidewall, a horizontal plate secured to said sidewall and spaced above said partition wall, a spark wheel located between said plate and said partition wall and journalled on said plate, said spark wheel having a ratchet wheel secured to its underside, a wick mounted on and rising above said partition wall at one side of the spark wheel, a flint support on the underside of said plate carrying a flint engaged with the spark wheel, guide means upstanding on said plate at a side of the spark 4 wheel, a resilient shank adapted for sliding through said guide means, a ratchet dog on an end of the shank engaging the ratchet wheel, a link pivoted at one end to the other end of the shank, and a cover pivoted on the housing sidewall to which the other end of the link is pivoted.

2. A lighter comprising a pan-shaped housing having a bottom wall and an upstanding sidewall, a partition wall extending across the housing and secured to said sidewall and spaced above the bottom wall to provide a lighter fluid chamber, a wick disposed in said chamber and having an end extending upwardly through said partitionwall, said partition wall having a filling opening, a removable cap for closing said filling opening, a plate fixed in the housing and spaced above the partition wall at one side of the wick end, a vertical axis spark wheel journalled on said plate, said spark wheel having a ratchet wheel means operatively associated with its underside, a flint support secured to the underside of said plate and carrying a flint engaged with the spark wheel, a ratchet dog engaged with the side of the ratchet wheel means remote from the wick, said dog having a resilient shank extending across the housing toward one side of the housing, means on said partition wall supporting and guiding said shank for longitudinal movement, a link having an inner end pivoted to said shank and an outer end, and a cover hinged on the sidewall at said one side of the housing to which the outer end of the link is pivoted.

3. A lighter comprising a pan-shaped housing having a bottom wall and an upstanding sidewall, a partition wall extending across the housing and secured to said sidewall and spaced above the bottom wall to provide a lighter fluid chamber, a wick disposed in said chamber and having an end extending upwardly through said par: tition wall, said partition wall having a filling opening, a removable cap for closing said filling opening, a plate fixed in the housing and spaced above the partition wall at one side of the wick end, a vertical axis spark wheel journalled on said plate, said spark wheel having a ratchet wheel means operatively associated with its underside, a flint support secured to the underside of said plate and carrying a flint engaged with the spark wheel, a ratchet dog engaged with the side of the ratchet wheel remote from the wick, said dog having a resilient shank extending across the housing toward one side of the housing, means on said partition wall supporting and guiding said shank for longitudinal movement, a link having an inner end pivoted to said shank and an outer end, and a cover hinged on the sidewall at said one side of the housing to which the outer end of the link is pivoted, and a wick snuifer socket on the underside of the cover adapted to enclose the said end of the wick in the closed position of the cover.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

